Author: Meghan Barrett

Congress Moves to Approve Final Spending Bill Before Government Shutdown Deadline

Congressional appropriators on Thursday unveiled legislative text for the final spending package for fiscal year 2024. The House will vote first on this six-bill “minibus,” which contains the appropriations bills for Labor-HHS-Education, Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, State-Foreign Operations, and Legislative Branch during a Friday session. The Senate is moving quickly to review the package before the federal funding deadline expires at midnight. Absent this “time agreement,” a brief weekend shutdown could be possible while the bill works its way to the president’s desk. Negotiations between House and Senate leadership broke down on another skinny health package. This deal would have included additional funding for community health centers, PBM reforms and price transparency provisions, as well as extensions for the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPA) and the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment Act (SUPPORT). Lawmakers may consider these provisions during the congressional lame duck session after the elections. In the bill, HHS is set to receive an increase of $955 million above the current funding level to more than $117 billion. Behavioral healthcare funding includes more than $4.6 billion to support substance use prevention and treatment efforts to address the rising toll of opioid overdoses; $2 billion for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant; $1.575 billion for State Opioid Response grants; $145 million for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program; and $1 billion for the Mental Health Block Grant. The bill also provides $153 million for the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program to support community-based clinical training and strengthen the mental health workforce through repayment of education loans for individuals working in either a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area or where the overdose death rate exceeds the national average. The package allocates $42 million to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the Office of the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) for expenses, grants, contracts and “cooperative agreements for the advancement of telehealth activities; $1 million to connect rural veterans to health care facilities; and $20.9 million for rural hospitals to adopt health information technology.   The bill also provides an $18 million increase for the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline, building on the nearly $400 million increase in fiscal year 2023. The proposed boost comes after GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee requested that the Government Accountability Office audit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) oversight of funds to the lifeline, saying more than half of designated funding has gone unused.

Register Today for Next Week’s NABH Education and Research Foundation Workforce Webinar

There’s still time to register for the NABH Education and Research Foundation’s workforce webinar on Tuesday, March 26 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET. Next week’s webinar is the first in a two-part series that explores talent recruitment and retention. Foundation Vice President Jim Shaheen, CEO of New Season/Colonial Management Group, LP, Foundation Secretary Mary Pawlikowski, president at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, and workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies will lead participants in an interactive discussion to share their talent-recruitment and retention challenges, as well as their best, short-term strategies to address those problems. These practices include re-organizing recruitment teams to align with operations, developing alumni outreach initiatives, streamlining an organization’s onboarding process, conducting stay interviews, and more. Please join us and click here to register for Part I on March 26 at 2 p.m. ET! The second webinar in this series will examine longer-term solutions to recruiting talent – such as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, education and certification opportunities, fellowships, and more – on Thursday, April 18 at 2 p.m. ET. NABH Board Chair Frank Ghinassi, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. president and CEO, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care and senior vice president, Behavioral Health and Addictions Service Line, RWJBarnabas Health, will lead the April webinar along with Kuhn and workforce consultant John Pallasch of One Workforce Solutions. Pallasch served previously as the assistant secretary for employment and training at the U.S. Labor Department.   Please join us and click here to register for Part II on April 18!

HHS Needs Your Feedback to Help Develop a Behavioral Healthcare Data Set

Through next Friday, March 29, HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) – the federal agency that standardizes information technology requirements for healthcare providers – is collecting information about specific data elements to include in a new behavioral healthcare data set. NABH encourages you to help with this important project. The task is a joint effort between ONC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create the draft United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) + BH to address core data and interoperability for behavioral health needs beyond the scope of the USCDI. In December 2023, ONC launched a new USCDI+ platform to support the organization, linking of domains, and functionality to solicit and receive feedback for all USCDI+ domains. HHS’ goal with this activity is to confirm the data points needed to improve and advance care continuity for patients who see behavioral healthcare providers and other healthcare providers. Survey respondents will identify the specific data metrics from among 187 options – such as the patient’s address, insurance information, clinical data points, and more – that HHS should collect, as well as items that HHS should not collect. Your expertise will help develop an eventual government-endorsed data set for the behavioral healthcare field and also influence a separate HHS effort to develop a future behavioral health information technology system.   Behavioral Health Information Technology, or BHIT, is one of NABH’s top advocacy priorities, so we strongly urge you and your teams’ health IT experts to complete ONC’s survey by no later than Friday, March 29. Meanwhile, NABH is working with its committees to prepare an association comment letter to ONC. Please contact Sarah Wattenberg with any questions.

White House Announces Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose

The Biden administration has announced The White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose, a nationwide call to action to stakeholders from all sectors to save lives by increasing training about and access to life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications. The White House urges organizations, philanthropists, local governments, and businesses large and small to participate in a variety of ways, such as training 100% of an organization’s employees on how and when to use an opioid reversal medication; ensure an opioid overdose reversal medication is in every first aid kit in worksites and schools; and purchase and distribute opioid overdose reversal medications to a certain number of employees. Click here to learn more about the challenge.

2024 Annual Meeting Hotel Reservation Cutoff Date is Approaching!

Please reserve your hotel room today at the Salamander Washington, DC for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting from May 13-15, 2024! The Salamander, Washington DC’s reservation cutoff date is Sunday, April 14. And please remember to register for this year’s Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare, if you haven’t done so yet. The Annual Meeting’s preliminary program will be available soon. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Advertise in the 2024 NABH Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide!

NABH will distribute the 2024 NABH Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide to all registrants at the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting from May 13-15 at the Salamander Washington, DC. Be sure your organization is included in it!   All ads are due by next Friday, March 29, 2024. Please click here for details about advertising options, requirements, payment, and more. The association also will send the guide to all NABH members after the meeting and post it on the NABH Annual Meeting webpage.

Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’ Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

In Case You Missed It: NABH’s 2024 Advocacy Priorities

NABH has released its 2024 Advocacy Priorities, which we urge you to read and share with your Government Relations teams. Topping NABH’s priorities this year are parity, workforce, behavioral healthcare information technology, America’s ongoing addiction crisis, and the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion.

Fact of the Week

A recent JAMA study reported Delta 8-THC use prevalence is appreciable among U.S. adolescents and is higher in states without marijuana legalization or existing Delta 8-THC regulations. The study noted that prioritizing surveillance, policy, and public health efforts addressing adolescent Delta 8-THC use may be warranted.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

HHS Needs Your Feedback to Help Develop a Behavioral Healthcare Data Set

Through March 29, HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) – the federal agency that standardizes information technology requirements for healthcare providers – is collecting information about specific data elements to include in a new behavioral healthcare data set. NABH encourages you to help with this important project. The task is a joint effort between ONC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create the draft United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) + BH to address core data and interoperability for behavioral health needs beyond the scope of the USCDI. In December 2023, ONC launched a new USCDI+ platform to support the organization, linking of domains, and functionality to solicit and receive feedback for all USCDI+ domains. HHS’ goal with this activity is to confirm the data points needed to improve and advance care continuity for patients who see behavioral healthcare providers and other healthcare providers. Survey respondents will identify the specific data metrics from among 187 options – such as the patient’s address, insurance information, clinical data points, and more – that HHS should collect, as well as items that HHS should not collect. Your expertise will help develop an eventual government-endorsed data set for the behavioral healthcare field and also influence a separate HHS effort to develop a future behavioral health information technology system.   Behavioral Health Information Technology, or BHIT, is one of NABH’s top advocacy priorities, so we strongly urge you and your teams’ health IT experts to complete ONC’s survey by no later than Friday, March 29. Meanwhile, NABH is working with its committees to prepare an association comment letter to ONC. Please contact Rochelle Archuleta with any questions.

Register Today for the NABH Education and Research Foundation’s Talent-Recruitment Webinars

The NABH Education and Research Foundation will host a two-part webinar series about talent recruitment featuring NABH members and workforce experts in March and April. Part I –Talent Recruitment: Exploring Short-Term Solutions – on Tuesday, March 26 will feature Foundation Vice President Jim Shaheen, CEO of New Season/Colonial Management Group, LP; Foundation Secretary Mary Pawlikowski, president at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics; and workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies. In this hourlong webinar, presenters will lead participants in an interactive discussion to share and discuss their talent-recruitment and retention challenges, as well as their best, short-term strategies to address those problems. These practices include re-organizing recruitment teams to align with operations, developing alumni outreach initiatives, streamlining an organization’s onboarding process, conducting stay interviews, and more. Please join us and click here to register for Part I on March 26 at 2 p.m. ET! The second webinar in this series will examine longer-term solutions to recruiting talent – such as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, education and certification opportunities, fellowships, and more – on Thursday, April 18 at 2 p.m. ET. NABH Board Chair Frank Ghinassi, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. president and CEO, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care and senior vice president, Behavioral Health and Addictions Service Line, RWJBarnabas Health, will lead the April webinar along with Kuhn and workforce consultant John Pallasch of One Workforce Solutions. Pallasch served previously as the assistant secretary for employment and training at the U.S. Labor Department.   Please join us and click here to register for Part II on April 18!

President Biden’s Fiscal 2025 Budget Proposal Aims to Transform Behavioral Healthcare

President Biden this week unveiled his fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget proposal, which would provide considerable funding to achieve the Biden administration’s goal of transforming behavioral healthcare in America. Each year, the president’s budget proposal is most significant for sending a message about the administration’s priorities. President Biden’s FY 2025 proposal provides $1 billion to advance BHIT adoption and interoperability among providers. It also provides a combined total of $216 million for mental health programs, including $200 million from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a 900% increase in program funding since 2021. The funds will help to increase the number of school-based counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals in K-12 schools. NABH is also pleased to see the president’s budget proposal seeks to strengthen parity by requiring all commercial market health plans to cover mental health and substance use disorder benefits; ensuring that plans have an adequate network of behavioral health providers; and improving the U.S. Labor Department’s (DOL) ability to enforce the law. The budget includes $275 million over 10 years to increase the DOL’s capacity to ensure that large group market health plans and issuers comply with mental health and substance use disorder requirements, and to act against plans and issuers that do not comply. The budget’s other behavioral healthcare provisions include: investing in strengthening the behavioral healthcare workforce, including integration into primary care settings; increasing funding for the Children’s Mental Health Initiative by $50 million; increasing funding for the State Opioid Response grant program, investing in a new technical assistance center to strengthen health providers’ understanding and treatment of substance use and women’s mental health; expanding the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and more.

SAMHSA to Host Webinar Next Week on Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness

SAMHSA will host a virtual webinar for prospective applicants interested in applying for the fiscal year 2024 Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness (AOT). The webinar will provide an overview of SAMHSA’s late-February AOT funding opportunity and application requirements. Registration is not required for the webinar on Wednesday, March 20 from 2:30 – 4 p.m. ET.

Register Today for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting

Please remember to register for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare and reserve your hotel room at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024.   This year’s meeting will examine and discuss critical issues that behavioral healthcare providers manage today and will continue to address tomorrow, including access to care, parity, technology, workforce, the political environment, and more. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Join Us for Hill Day 2024

Please remember to sign up for Hill Day 2024 on Tuesday, May 14, the second day of this year’s Annual Meeting. Hill Day is an excellent opportunity to meet one-on-one with legislators to discuss the issues that matter most to behavioral healthcare providers. After you register for the NABH Annual Meeting, the NABH Congressional Affairs team will match you with legislators who represent you or your facility footprint. Closer to the day of the meeting, we will send you a meeting schedule, materials, and talking points to guide your conversations with Members of Congress and their staff. Please indicate in your Annual Meeting registration form that you are interested in Hill Day, and be sure to include all the states where your system has a footprint. If you have an existing relationship with a legislator, please let us know!

Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’ Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

In Case You Missed It: NABH’s 2024 Advocacy Priorities

NABH released its 2024 Advocacy Priorities, which we urge you to read and share with your Government Relations teams. Topping NABH’s priorities this year are parity, workforce, behavioral healthcare information technology, America’s ongoing addiction crisis, and the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion.

Fact of the Week

In 2021 and 2022, people ages 75 and older had the highest suicide rate among all age groups, largely driven by males, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and noted in a recent Health Affairs article. For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Supported Behavioral Healthcare Riders in Funding Package Passes House and Awaits Senate Passage

House and Senate Leadership agreed to a six-bill spending package with a March 9 deadline that contains a narrow list of health measures, including several important NABH priorities. The agreement set up a Wednesday vote in the House, which passed the legislation 339-85 and sent the package to the Senate. The Senate is expected to consider and pass the legislation today or early tomorrow morning to avoid a partial government shutdown. Following passage of the initial package, lawmakers will have roughly three additional weeks to fund HHS as part of the second funding package which has a March 22 deadline. The limited health care riders include NABH priority provisions to permanently require state Medicaid plans to cover medication-assisted treatment and to create a permanent state Medicaid option allowing treatment of substance use disorder at institutions. Other behavioral health provisions include establishing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic services as an optional Medicaid benefit, requiring HHS to issue guidance on how states can improve integrating behavioral health with primary care, and a provision to make treatments more streamlined for justice-involved Medicaid beneficiaries — states must suspend rather than terminate coverage for incarcerated enrollees. The skinny health care package also includes funding to eliminate the statutorily required payment reductions intended to offset hospitals’ uncompensated care costs through Dec. 31, 2024. Notably excluded from the healthcare package is the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA), which NABH and coalition partners advocated extensively to stop. Other healthcare provisions excluded include an extension of now-expired pandemic provisions allowing employers to offer telehealth as a separate benefit, highly-debated items related to prescription drugs and hospitals, such as pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms, hospital price transparency measures, or any site neutral payment policies for hospitals. There is the potential that some healthcare provisions could move with the March 22 funding package or in a year-end health package following the November elections. Should another healthcare package emerge, NABH will continue to advocate for remaining SUPPORT Act provision priorities and to prevent any effort to include MOTAA.

HHS Announces Steps to Assist Providers After Change Healthcare Cyberattack

HHS on Thursday announced what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is doing to help healthcare providers continue to serve patients following the late-February cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group (UHG). The HHS announcement also said the department is in regular contact with UHG leadership, state partners, and with numerous external stakeholders to better understand the nature of the impacts and to ensure the effectiveness of UHG’s response. “HHS has made clear its expectation that UHG does everything in its power to ensure continuity of operations for all health care providers impacted and HHS appreciates UHG’s continuous efforts to do so,” said in its statement. “HHS is also leading interagency coordination of the Federal government’s related activities, including working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the White House, and other agencies to provide credible, actionable threat intelligence to industry wherever possible.” Click here to read about the steps CMS is taking to assist providers. And please contact NABH if your system has been affected by the cyberattack and/or if you have questions for NABH.

SAMHSA Announces $36.9 Million in Behavioral Healthcare Grant Funding

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) recently announced $36.9 million in grant program funding to support behavioral healthcare services nationwide. The funding covers a variety of areas, including $10 million for screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment; more than $6 million to support first responders and others with training, administering, and distributing naloxone and other Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved opioid overdose reversal medications or devices; and more than $5 million to help expand and ensure that students in health professional receive SUD education early in their academic careers and have a basic knowledge of strategies to identify and treat addiction and support recovery after they graduate. Click here to read about the other funding opportunities.

Register for the NABH Education and Research Foundation’s Talent Recruitment Webinars

The NABH Education and Research Foundation will host a two-part webinar series about talent recruitment featuring NABH members and workforce experts in March and April. Part I –Talent Recruitment: Exploring Short-Term Solutions – will be held Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 2 p.m. ET. Foundation Vice President Jim Shaheen, CEO of New Season/Colonial Management Group, LP, and Foundation Secretary Mary Pawlikowski, president at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, will join workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies for this interactive webinar to help NABH members learn about and share their best, short-term solutions to recruiting talent. Kuhn has more than 30 years of workforce experience and has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including in her roles as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment and as Vermont’s director of workforce development. She has also served as chief engagement officer at the Kentucky Cabinet of Health and Family Services. The second webinar in this series will examine longer-term solutions to recruiting talent – such as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, education and certification opportunities, fellowships, and more – on Thursday, April 18 at 2 p.m. ET. NABH Board Chair Frank Ghinassi, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. president and CEO, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care and senior vice president, Behavioral Health and Addictions Service Line, RWJBarnabas Health, will lead the April webinar with Kuhn and workforce consultant John Pallasch of One Workforce Solutions. Pallasch served previously as the assistant secretary for employment and training at the U.S. Labor Department. Please join us and click here to register for Part 1 on March 26 and here to register for Part 2 on April 18!

Alcohol Deaths Jump During Pandemic

A new CDC study found that more than 178,300 people died from excessive alcohol use during 2020 and 2021 in the U.S., a 29% increase from 2016 and 2017, and that the number of people who died per year increased by more than 40,000 within six years. Female deaths had a 35% spike compared to 27% for males.  The report suggests that increases may have been caused by changes in alcohol policies during the COVID-19 pandemic in which many states permitted alcohol carryout and delivery to homes for off-premises consumption.

SAMHSA to Hold Briefing on CFR Amendments

Join a virtual stakeholder briefing on Thursday, March 14, 3-4 pm ET, unveiling recent amendments to 42 CFR part 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) governing opioid treatment program (OTP) certification and treatment standards. Published on Feb. 2, 2024, these revisions aim to enhance care access through reduced barriers, flexible treatment, and telehealth integration. This event will include a presentation from Dr. Yngvild Olsen, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), others, and followed by a Q&A and discussion. Register for this breifing here.

Register Today for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting!

Please remember to register for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare and reserve your hotel room at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024.   This year’s meeting will examine and discuss critical issues that behavioral healthcare providers manage today and will continue to address tomorrow, including access to care, parity, technology, workforce, the political environment, and more. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’ Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

In Case You Missed It: NABH’s 2024 Advocacy Priorities

Last week NABH released its 2024 Advocacy Priorities, which we urge you to read and share with your Government Relations teams. Topping NABH’s priorities this year are parity, workforce, behavioral healthcare information technology, America’s ongoing addiction crisis, and the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion.

Fact of the Week

Research from the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) reports that bed availability within state psychiatric hospitals reached a low of 10.8 beds per population of 100,000 in 2023. TAC’s report attributed this trend to a variety of circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing, disproportionate number of beds filled by individuals from the criminal legal system.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

Now Available: NABH 2024 Advocacy Priorities!

NABH is pleased to share its 2024 Advocacy Priorities, which we urge you to read and share with your Government Relations teams. Topping NABH’s priorities this year are parity, workforce, behavioral healthcare information technology, America’s ongoing addiction crisis, and the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion. “NABH’s 2024 advocacy priorities reflect the organization’s mission to advance responsive, accountable, and clinically effective prevention, treatment, and care for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUD),” the advocacy priorities document notes. “2024 is a critically important year as the country continues to face intense access challenges for both MH and SUD patients. Demand for our services across all age groups nationwide has never been higher.

NABH Education and Research Foundation to Host Webinar Series on Talent Recruitment

The NABH Education and Research Foundation will host a two-part webinar series about talent recruitment featuring NABH members and workforce experts in March and April. Part I –Talent Recruitment: Exploring Short-Term Solutions – will be held Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 2 p.m. ET. Foundation Vice President Jim Shaheen, CEO of New Season/Colonial Management Group, LP, and Foundation Secretary Mary Pawlikowski, president at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, will join workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies for this interactive webinar to help NABH members learn about and share their best, short-term solutions to recruiting talent. Kuhn has more than 30 years of workforce experience and has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including in her roles as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment and as Vermont’s director of workforce development. She has also served as chief engagement officer at the Kentucky Cabinet of Health and Family Services. The second webinar in this series will examine longer-term solutions to recruiting talent – such as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, education and certification opportunities, fellowships, and more – on Thursday, April 18 at 2 p.m. ET. NABH Board Chair Frank Ghinassi, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. president and CEO, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care and senior vice president, Behavioral Health and Addictions Service Line, RWJBarnabas Health, will lead the April webinar with Kuhn and workforce consultant John Pallasch of One Workforce Solutions. Pallasch served previously as the assistant secretary for employment and training at the U.S. Labor Department. Please join us and click here to register for Part 1 on March 26 and here to register for Part 2 on April 18!

Lawmakers Avert Government Shutdown; Healthcare Funding Package Slated for Late March

Federal lawmakers this week averted a partial government shutdown after the Senate on Thursday approved a two-step Continuing Resolution that clears the path for policymakers to conclude appropriations work and prepare for a healthcare funding package scheduled for March 22. The House and Senate moved quickly to pass a stopgap funding bill ready for President Biden’s signature this weekend, buying more time to finalize half a dozen spending bills that congressional leaders must pass by the new March 8 deadline. The vote will set up a first tranche of full-year spending bills, which include the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development measures. Enacting these bills would fund those agencies through Sept. 30. Congress will consider a second batch of bills as they face a new deadline of March 22 to avoid a partial government shutdown. That package includes the Defense, Financial Services, Legislative Branch, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education and State-Foreign Operations measures. A final deal on the Labor-HHS bill could include a stripped-down healthcare package with a handful of priorities, including a NABH priority: an IMD provision that would make the state plan amendment option permanent. Other healthcare priorities expected in the bill include a partial fix to Medicare physician pay cuts, extended funding for community health centers, and delayed disproportionate share hospital cuts. Other long-debated health policy measures – including pharmacy benefit manger reforms, site-neutral hospital policies, transparency reforms, and some SUPPORT Act provision reauthorizations – are likely to be set aside until the lame-duck session after November’s elections. MOTAA proponents will likely continue to advocate for including this measure – which NABH will continue to oppose – in a November funding package.

SAMHSA to Host Webinar on Models to Reduce Frequent Service Utilization for Individuals with MH and SUD

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) GAINS Center will host the webinar Implementing Complex Care Models to Reduce Frequent Service Utilization Among Individuals Experiencing Mental and Substance Use Disorders later this month. As SAMHSA noted in its announcement, people with complex healthcare needs, including mental and substance use disorders, can sometimes fall through service gaps and cycle among emergency, criminal justice, and hospital systems. Their complex needs require a person-centered approach to care and linkages to support treatment retention and recovery. Learn more in this webinar on Thursday, March 21 starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

Now Open: 2024 NABH Annual Meeting Registration

Registration is now open for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare. Please join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s Annual Meeting to examine and discuss critical issues that behavioral healthcare providers manage today and will continue to address tomorrow, including access to care, parity, technology, workforce, the political environment, and more. Click here to register for the meeting and reserve your hotel room. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Join Us for Hill Day 2024!

Please remember to sign up for Hill Day 2024 on Tuesday, May 14, the second day of this year’s Annual Meeting. Hill Day is an excellent opportunity to meet one-on-one with legislators to discuss the issues that matter most to behavioral healthcare providers. After you register for the NABH Annual Meeting, the NABH Congressional Affairs team will match you with legislators who represent you or your facility footprint. Closer to the day of the meeting, we will send you a meeting schedule, materials, and talking points to guide your conversations with Members of Congress and their staff. Please indicate in your Annual Meeting registration form that you are interested in Hill Day, and be sure to include all the states where your system has a footprint. If you have an existing relationship with a legislator, please let us know!

Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’ Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Fact of the Week

In areas with some racial or ethnic diversity, there is a large decline in the geographic availability of buprenorphine prescribers and prescription fills, according to a new study from the University of Pittsburgh. “In areas that are less than 95% white, for example, there’s a 45 to 50% drop (in access),” said Coleman Drake in a U.S. News and World Report article. Drake is an assistant professor of health policy and management at Pitt Public Health in Pittsburgh and the study’s lead author.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

DOL Includes Mental Health in $200 Million Grant Announcement for Registered Apprenticeships

The U.S. Labor Department this week announced nearly $200 million in grants to support public-private partnerships that expand, diversify, and strengthen Registered Apprenticeships and included mental health occupations under the “care economy” sector that is eligible to apply. The funding opportunity includes $95 million of competitive grants through the second round of the Apprenticeship Building America Grant Program and $100 million in the second round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula Grants. The Apprenticeship Building America Grant Program aims to leverage Registered Apprenticeships as a workforce solution while assuring that people from underrepresented and underserved communities can access high-quality training and pre-apprenticeships that lead directly to enrolling in a Registered Apprenticeship program. In addition to the care economy, sectors include information technology/cybersecurity, K-12 teacher occupations, clean energy, hospitality, public sector, and supply chain sector (logistics, warehousing, transportation, manufacturing). Click here to learn about the second round of the Apprenticeship Building America Grant Program and here to learn about the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants. The NABH Education and Research Foundation will host a webinar this spring to help members learn more about Registered Apprenticeships and will provide details soon.

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects UBH Request to Hear Claim Denial Case

In a win for behavioral healthcare providers, the U.S. Supreme Court this week rejected a request for appeal from United Behavioral Health (UBH) to hear a behavioral health claim denial case. The initial case centered on how health plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) handle clinician insights in the denial-appeal process and how those decisions should be communicated to members. UBH sought to challenge a prior court’s rule pertaining to whether the health plan gave the plaintiff – a patient who ultimately died by suicide – a full and fair review during the denial-appeals process. The Supreme Court’s rejection this week upholds the 10^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ May 2023 ruling, which noted: “United argues its actions were not arbitrary and capricious because it met certain ERISA regulatory requirements. It points to regulations which discuss requirements for engagement with medical opinions in ERISA disability plans,” and continued: “We recognize the textual difference in the ERISA disability and ERISA medical regulations pointed out by United but disagree that the dialogue absolves United from its duty to engage in meaningful dialogue that includes a full and fair review of the insured’s claim.”

National Academies Report Urges Developing Standards to Limit Potential Social Media Harms on Adolescent Mental Health

A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recommends developing new industry standards to limit the potential harms of social media on adolescent mental health while bolstering its possible benefits. The report notes that during the past 15 years, an increase in young people’s smartphone usage has coincided with a decline in mental health, a damaging  association that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., M.B.A, warned against in a May 2023 advisory. Click here to read the JAMA article about the NASEM report.

HHS & DOJ to Host Webinar on Tech-facilitated Abuse in Teen Relationships Next Week

In conjunction with February’s Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, HHS and the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) will host a webinar on Feb. 28 to help participants learn about the use of technology in teen dating and its related impacts on behavioral health. HHS’ Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, along with DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women, will lead the 75-minute event, which will also examine non-consensual image-sharing and practices to address these challenges at the community level. Click here to register for the webinar, which will begin at 3 p.m. ET next Wednesday.

Now Open: 2024 NABH Annual Meeting Registration

Registration is now open for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare. Please join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s Annual Meeting to examine and discuss critical issues that behavioral healthcare providers manage today and will continue to address tomorrow, including access to care, parity, technology, workforce, the political environment, and more. Click here to register for the meeting and reserve your hotel room. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’ Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Fact of the Week

A recent report from union group National Nurses United showed 81.6% of nurses polled said they had experienced workplace violence in at least one form. Respondents reported the three most common types of violence were being verbally threatened (67.8%), physically threatened (38.7%), and being pinched or scratched (37.3%).   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Remembers Youth Services Committee Member Mike Lyons, M.S.

NABH remembers with grateful appreciation Mike Lyons, M.S., 54, who died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm on Sunday, Feb. 11. Mike served as vice president of specialty education for Universal Health Services’ (UHS) Behavioral Health Division, where he was responsible for implementing UHS’ Best in Class Academic Accountability System throughout the organization’s network of academic programs in acute, partial hospitalization, residential, and day-school settings. Mike also championed education legislation at the state and federal levels to make certain that children and adolescents with mental illness receive an equitable and quality educational experience. At the association, Mike was an influential and supportive member of the Youth Services Committee, where his fellow members and NABH team respected him highly for his insights, thoughtful comments, and devotion to helping kids learn. As an example, last year Mike sent his regrets for missing the 2023 Annual Meeting and Youth Services Committee meeting so he could attend the high school graduation ceremony at one of UHS’ facilities. Mike will be missed by all who knew him. There will be a celebration of Mike’s life at The Casa Bella Club House, 6005 Anello Drive, Melbourne, Florida 32940 from 2 – 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Camp Marist, 22 Abel Boulevard, Effingham, New Hampshire, 03882. Under the leadership of the Marist Brothers for more than 70 years, Camp Marist is based in New Hampshire’s White Mountain Lakes region and is a place where children learn about character, leadership, and community.

NABH Sends MOTAA Opposition Letter to Congressional Leaders

This week NABH sent a letter to House and Senate leaders outlining the association’s strong opposition to the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA). “The Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA) [H.R. 1359 / S. 644] would permit addiction physicians outside OTPs to prescribe methadone that would be dispensed through pharmacies,” NABH wrote in its letter. “This legislation has not been vetted appropriately with stakeholders, the House has not held a hearing to examine it, and the Senate has given it only a cursory review,” the letter continued. “The bill’s goal is to provide greater access to methadone; however, patient safety concerns with such an untested approach warrants further review and attention before further congressional consideration.” NABH cautioned that MOTAA would significantly introduce more danger of overdose given the safety profile of methadone (versus buprenorphine, for example). Instead, NABH wrote that implementing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) regulations released on Feb. 2 would be a more effective approach to providing greater access. “They will allow greater access to individuals of all ages, provide greater convenience for patients, bolster the workforce, ease expansion to broader settings of care (medication units and mobile units), and more,” NABH wrote. “The regulations also recognize that methadone has a more dangerous pharmacological profile than other medications for OUD.”

CMS Clarifies Parameters on Using AI in Coverage Decisions for MA Plans

In a recent memo, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) clarified that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans cannot use artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms to deny prior authorization requests but may use the technology to assist in coverage decisions. This clarification – published in the memo as frequently asked questions (FAQ) – is based on the agency’s April 2023 rule, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. In the FAQ, the agency responds to concerns about inappropriate coverage denials based on algorithms. “An algorithm or software tool can be used to assist MA plans in making coverage determinations, but it is the responsibility of the MA organization to ensure that the algorithm or artificial intelligence complies with all applicable rules for how coverage determinations by MA organizations are made,” the agency noted in its FAQ. This scrutiny aligns with recent lawsuits against UnitedHealth Group, Humana, and Cigna’s MA plans, as well as a 2022 HHS Office of the Inspector General report about the erroneous algorithm coverage decisions.

Kaiser Family Foundation to Examine Prior Authorization in Webinar Next Week

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) will host a webinar on Feb. 22 featuring a panel of four experts who will explore why insurers use prior authorization, its effect on patients and providers, and how new regulations may change current practices. Larry Levitt, KFF’s executive vice president for health policy, will moderate the 45-minute discussion that will include Troyen Brennan, M.D., adjunct professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and former CVS Care executive; Fumiko Chino, M.D., radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Anna Schwamlein Howard, principal, policy development at the American Cancer Society Action Network; and Kaye Pestaina, KFF’s vice president and director of the Program on Patient and Consumer Protection.   Click here to register for the webinar, which is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22 at noon ET.

SAMHSA Releases Resource on Medicaid Coverage of Medications for Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders

SAMHSA has released a report that provides an update on the present state of coverage, availability of, and access to medications within state Medicaid plans for treating ongoing alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) and reversing an opioid overdose. The new resource also includes examples of efforts to increase access to medications for treating SUD. SAMHSA also developed an hourlong webinar and slides in conjunction with the report.

SAMHSA Announces New SUD-Related Funding Opportunities

SAMHSA this week released two separate notices of funding opportunities focused on SUD. In the first funding notice, SAMHSA will distribute up to 10 awards totaling $9.95 million to implement the screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment public health model for children, adolescents, and/or adults in primary care and community health settings, HMOs, PPOs, health plans, federally qualified health centers, children’s hospitals, and more with a focus on screening for underage drinking, opioid use, and other substance use. The other funding notice will distribute up to 18 awards totaling $5.4 million to expand and assure that graduate-level healthcare students receive SUD education early in their academic careers and prepare them to identify and treat UD in mainstream healthcare after they graduate.

Now Open: 2024 NABH Annual Meeting Registration

Registration is now open for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare. Please join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s Annual Meeting to examine and discuss critical issues that behavioral healthcare providers manage today and will continue to address tomorrow, including access to care, parity, technology, workforce, the political environment, and more. Click here to register for the meeting and reserve your hotel room. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Join Us for Hill Day 2024!

Please remember to sign up for Hill Day 2024 on Tuesday, May 14, the second day of this year’s Annual Meeting. Hill Day is an excellent opportunity to meet one-on-one with legislators to discuss the issues that matter most to behavioral healthcare providers. After you register for the NABH Annual Meeting, the NABH Congressional Affairs team will match you with legislators who represent you or your facility footprint. Closer to the day of the meeting, we will send you a meeting schedule, materials, and talking points to guide your conversations with Members of Congress and their staff. Please indicate in your Annual Meeting registration form that you are interested in Hill Day, and be sure to include all the states where your system has a footprint. If you have an existing relationship with a legislator, please let us know!

Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’ Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Fact of the Week

Behavioral healthcare jobs made three of the top seven and five of the top 20 jobs in Indeed’s Best Jobs of 2024, which focused on jobs w/ a minimum salary of $75,000 and w/ at least 10% of postings that included remote or hybrid work.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

Now Open: 2024 NABH Annual Meeting Registration!

Registration is now open for the 2024 NABH Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare. Please join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s Annual Meeting to examine and discuss critical issues that behavioral healthcare providers manage today and will continue to address tomorrow, including access to care, parity, technology, workforce, the political environment, and more. Click here to register for the meeting and reserve your hotel room. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

SAMHSA and ONC Launch Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative

HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) this week announced they will invest more than $20 million of SAMHSA funds in the next three years to advance health information technology (IT) in behavioral healthcare and practice settings. The announcement acknowledged that behavioral healthcare providers lag behind other providers in health IT adoption in part because they are ineligible to participate in health IT incentive programs that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provide. An ONC analysis of American Hospital Association survey data from 2019 and 2021 found that 86% of non-federal, general acute care hospitals had adopted a 2015-edition certified electronic health record (EHR), while only 67% of psychiatric hospitals had adopted the same certified EHR. Meanwhile, ONC analysis of SAMHSA survey data from 2020 show psychiatric hospitals lag even further behind in adoption of interoperability and patient engagement functions. To address these challenges, the Behavioral Health Information Technology (BHIT) Initiative will identify and pilot a set of behavioral health-specific data elements with SAMHSA’s Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant and Community Mental Health Services Block Grant grantees and Community Mental Health Services Block Grant grantees. The data elements will be coordinated via a new USCDI+ domain for behavioral health to improve the effectiveness and reduce the costs of data capture, use, and exchange for behavioral health providers. This year ONC, SAMHSA, and other federal partners will begin to identify data elements for the USCDI+ project as part of the broader BHIT Initiative. This collaborative approach will incorporate input on behavioral health priorities from a variety of individuals and entities including clinicians, grantees, states, and advocates. Then SAMHSA and ONC will coordinate with technology developers and participating providers on how to best include USCDI+ behavioral health data elements in health IT and pilot their use.

HHS Finalizes ‘42 CFR Part 2’ Rule to Better Align with HIPAA Standards

HHS on Thursday released its final Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records rule to implement the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) amendments to the federal substance use confidentiality rule – commonly known as 42 CFR part 2, or Part 2. Consistent with NABH recommendations, the new rules further align Part 2’s requirements with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) rules and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). Although opponents to these changes argued they were unnecessary, HHS nonetheless adopted these modifications to align with HIPAA, a rule that has historically had fewer privacy protections than part 2. The new rule permits patients to provide one-time consent for the disclosure of treatment records; permits an accounting of disclosures; strengthens prohibitions against disclosure of records in civil, criminal, or legislative proceedings, and provides HHS with enforcement authority, including financial penalties. Importantly, the rule creates a new definition for SUD clinicians’ notes that is analogous to the protections HIPAA provides for psychotherapy notes. The rule will become effective 60 days after publication and compliance is not required until 2026. Meanwhile, HHS’ Office for Civil Rights plans to finalize changes to the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) to address uses and disclosures of protected health information that is also protected by Part 2 along with other changes to the NPP requirements, in an upcoming final rule modifying the HIPAA privacy. In addition, HHS plans to implement in separate rulemaking the CARES Act antidiscrimination provisions that prohibit the use of patients’ Part 2 records against them.

CMS Releases Updated State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit

CMS this week released an updated State Medicaid & Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Telehealth Toolkit, a series of resources that include telehealth policies and information about telehealth platforms, billing best practices, strategies to deliver accessible and culturally competent care via telehealth, and more. The resources provide states with statutory and regulatory infrastructure issues to consider as they evaluate the need to expand their telehealth capabilities and coverage policies, including coverage and reimbursement policies, providers, and practitioners eligible to provider telehealth, technology requirements, considerations for specific populations, and state examples and strategies.

Prevent Suicide New Jersey to Host Safety Planning Intervention Workshop on Feb. 28

Prevent Suicide New Jersey, a partnership among state departments, professional and community organizations, schools, and families, will host a free workshop on Feb. 28 about the Stanley Brown Safety Planning Intervention (SPI), a collaborative, clinical intervention that results in a prioritized written list of warning signs, coping strategies, and resources for suicidal individuals. The virtual workshop will teach participants the six steps to create a safety plan: 1) recognizing warning signs; 2) identifying internal coping strategies; 3) identifying other people or social settings for distraction; 4) identifying individuals to ask for help; 5) identifying professionals and agencies for help; and 6) making the environment safe. The New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (NJAAP), ABFT International Training Institute, LLC, and the U.S. Journal of Training are co-sponsoring the training, and the webinar is open to certified licensed community behavioral health clinicians, school-based behavioral health providers, and interested community members. Click here to register.

Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’ Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Fact of the Week

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Miami have identified a molecule that reduces hypersensitivity in trials in mice by binding to a protein they have shown is involved in neuropathic pain, according to a study published in Science Daily. The new compound, dubbed FEM-1689, does not engage opioid receptors in the body, making it a possible alternative to existing pain medications linked to addiction.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Alert: SAMHSA Updates OTP Regulations

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published Medications for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder late yesterday for public inspection. The final rule was published earlier today and becomes effective on April 2, 2024, with compliance by October 2, 2024. [Please note that this is a correction of the compliance date of October 2, 2026 that was published yesterday in the public notice.] NABH provided comments on the Notice of Proposed Rule Making that was issued in December 2022 calling for greater regulatory flexibility for opioid treatment programs (OTPs). The final regulations align closely to NABH recommendations and herald greater deference to clinical decision-making in the nation’s (OTPs). Among the provisions, the regulations:

• Make permanent the Covid-era take-home schedule;
• Permit methadone for new patients via audio-visual telemedicine with the dispensing of medication at the OTP (not audio-only).
• Permit audio-only telemedicine when the patient is in the presence of a practitioner who is registered to prescribe SII, including dispensing.
• Clarify (in response to NABH off-line discussion and official comments) that the prescription of methadone to community pharmacies is NOT permitted;
• Change the requirement for a one-year history of OUD for eligibility so that now either the patient must a) meet diagnostic criteria for moderate-severe OUD, or b) be in OUD remission, or c) at high risk for overdose;
• Remove the requirement for two treatment failures for people under 18 to be eligible for services;
• Remove requirement for a one-year history of OUD for people recently released from a correctional facility, pregnant patients, or previously enrolled individuals;
• Allow medication units to provide all OTP services;
• Decouple medication and attendance at counseling services;
• Permit interim treatment for 180 days, including at for-profit OTPs;
• Permit mid-levels (“…those appropriate licensed by the state”) to prescribe without exemption;
• Clarified accreditation standards to reduce potential for a burdensome increase in less-than 3-year accreditations;
• Permit buprenorphine prescribing in an OTP via audio-only and audio-visual without an in-person evaluation; and
• Update terminology to reflect contemporary, non-stigmatizing language.

The final rule additionally codifies the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 elimination of the Drug Addiction and Treatment Act (DATA) Waiver by removing all relevant language.

CMS Proposes MA Rates for 2025

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), on Wednesday, released a calendar year (CY) 2025 advance notice which includes measures related to Medicare Advantage (MA) and other issues. The advance notice proposes an annual increase to MA payments of, on average, 3.7 percent ($16 billion), relative to 2024. This advance notice complements another CY 2025 proposed rule issued last November. It also builds upon technical updates in 2023 to the MA risk adjustment model that are designed to yield more accurate payments. CMS will accept comments on the advance notice through April 1. For additional background, see this CMS fact sheet. NABH appreciates CMS’s meaningful efforts in recent years to improve the MA program, including increasing the accountability and transparency of MA health plans as well as substantive proposals to enforce parity and improve the prior authorization program.

CMS Requests Information on MA In Push For Data Transparency

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), on Thursday, Jan. 24, requested information on Medicare Advantage (MA) data capabilities to increase data transparency. The RFI asked for recommendations for improving data capabilities to increase accuracy on coverage, enhance quality of care, and better inform healthcare professionals. This RFI builds upon CMS’ extensive regulatory activity to increase transparency and accountability of Medicare Advantage plans. CMS is aiming to have comprehensive data on the MA program made publicly available and thus allowing for further comparative analyses between other health programs. Click here to read the full press release.

SAMSHA Releases Guide for Overdose Prevention and Response

The SAMHSA Overdose Prevention Toolkit provides guidance on preventing and responding to an overdose and the role of opioid overdose reversal medications. The toolkit emphasizes that harm reduction and access to treatment are essential aspects of overdose prevention. Appendices are directed to specific audiences, such as people who use drugs (PWUD), people taking prescribed opioids, first responders, healthcare practitioners, and others. Click here to access the toolkit.

GAO Evaluates the Potential Expansion of FHA Loans to Behavioral Health Hospitals

The Government Accountability Office last week issued recommendations to Congress on the pros and cons on the possible expansion of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program. Any expansion in the future would expand access to higher-acuity behavioral health services. Today, this FHA program funds loans to general acute-care hospitals for capital improvements, not including hospitals focused on treating behavioral health patients due to their, on average, smaller size, revenue, and margins. The report, commissioned by Congress, suggests that any expansion of this program be coupled with parameters to mitigate potential risks, such as initially limiting the volume loans to newly eligible hospitals through a pilot program, and requiring regular loan performance updates from FHA to Congress

SAMHSA Offers Consumer Guide for Peer Support in Substance Use Recovery

The newly released peer support recovery guide from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides an in-depth look into the role of peer specialists. SAMHSA states that readers can utilize visual aids and consumer forms to better understand the range of services provided by peer specialists and how they can be a resource to those in recovery from substance use. Click here to access the guide.

HHS’ Office of Long Covid Welcomes Ian Simon as Director

The Department of Human and Health Services (HHS) appointed Ian Simon as the director of the Office of Long Covid Research and Practice. In this position, Simon will lead HHS towards a coordinated government response to better understand the long-term impacts of COVID-19. Simon was the assistant director for health strategy and bio preparedness at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. He also brings additional experience from his time at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Reminder: SAMHSA Releases Updated 988 Partner Toolkit

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released an updated 988 Partner Toolkit that the agency says is designed to help users better navigate the bank of materials available to promote the lifeline in communities. The toolkit has the same video PSAs, social media promotions, FAQs, and print materials, and is now available to search by target audience, population, language, and resource type. Click here to access the toolkit.

Reminder: NABH’s Enhanced Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Save the Date for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting!

Please plan to join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare. Registration will open in February.

Fact of the Week

A study from JAMA Internal Medicine found that pregnant patients treated with buprenorphine within the first trimester had an 18% lower risk of congenital malformations than those treated with methadone.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

CMS $50 Million in Grants for School-Based Health Services, Particularly for Mental Health

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week announced $50 million in state grant funding to connect millions more children to critical healthcare services, especially mental health, in schools. The funding comes through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and will provide 20 states up to $2.5 million each in funding that can help states implement, enhance, and expand school-based health services through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. “This funding will be transformational for states at any stage in developing school-based health services programs, which represent one of CMS’ most powerful tools for expanding access to care for our children,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in an announcement about the funding. “Medicaid and CHIP cover over 39 million children. This targeted support is one way CMS can help kids get the health care they need by meeting them where they are — in school.” CMS said it anticipates a total of 20 grant awards, with a minimum of 10 awards to states that have yet to cover school-based health services for all children covered under Medicaid or CHIP. In addition, the agency said up to 10 grants are intended for states that have taken initial steps to expand school-based health services, with the hope that these grants will enhance or refine their existing programs. Applications for grant funding are due by March 25 and funding is expected by this summer. Click here for more information.

National Academy for State Health Policy Updates State Opioid Settlement Tracker

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) this month updated its tracker to show how states are implementing administrative structures to disburse an expected $50 billion awarded to states and localities from opioid-related lawsuits, which includes $26 billion awarded to 46 states as part of the National Opioid Settlement. These structures include strategies for engaging a wide variety of stakeholders on priorities for reducing opioid-related deaths and investing in SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery infrastructure. NASHP released an issue brief about its tracker in December 2022 to show funding allocated to each state through the National Opioid Settlement, as well as laws, agreements, and processes that states have established for allocating the funds.

Now Available: NABH Education and Research Foundation Webinar Resources and Interview

Thank you to all who joined or watched our foundation’s webinar, Redesigning the Present and Future Behavioral Healthcare Workforce, on Tuesday, Jan. 23. NABH regrets that we were unable to hear from NABH Education and Research Foundation President and co-presenter Don Parker soon after the webinar began due to a power outage in Parker’s service area. Below is an exchange between Parker and co-presenter Beth Kuhn, principal at workforce consultancy Stonegate Strategies, in a post-webinar interview. BK: Don, what can you tell us about the top workforce challenges you experienced at Hackensack Meridian Health System? DP: At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hackensack Merdian Health System asked the system’s Behavioral Health Care Transformation Services to develop a post-pandemic strategy recognizing that we would have two major problems to deal with: a rapidly increasing demand for behavioral healthcare, given all of the fear, loss, isolation and uncertainty our citizens were experiencing, and an unpredictable reaction from our staff who had the same fears but just multiplied given the nature of their jobs in health care. Although we slowed our feared staff exodus, similar to every other hospital in America, it increased and has led to shortages across the professions. As we now face both supply (under staffing of all levels of professionals) and demand (unprecedented demand for behavioral health from every age cohort) our HMH team has turned its focus to improving retention and attracting new recruits to bolster our veterans. BK: Your system has been especially focused on building partnerships to support your talent supply efforts.  What can you tell us about your approach? DP: Knowing we would face a shortage of psychiatrists, HMH initiated 64 psychiatry resident slots and 16 fellowships (heavily weighted to children). Our first class graduated last year and began to fill our ranks.  For the many residents and fellows we recruited to stay at HMH, we engaged them in an “Earn While You Learn” program for their final year. They received what would be equal to a signing bonus in monthly increments for the year. It provided great recruitment and retention. Our health system created two new nursing school partnerships with all the nurses rotating through the HMH psychiatry locations. The exposure has proven to be highly beneficial to our nursing recruitment. On the Mental Health Technician front, we have initiated several programs in partnership with the Local Workforce Investment Boards and the Community Colleges. I have had more than a 30-year history of working closely with WIBs. I also served as chairman of the WIB in my county in New Jersey for several years. I have been a Board Member of the Community College in my County for 17 years and personally started my education in a Junior College. BK: One webinar participant asked for information on what “resiliency investments” look like. It seems to me that you have some answers within your overall retention strategy. DP: Our administrative staff were deeply concerned that we would experience an exodus of our staff due to the sheer everyday extreme stress they were experiencing. During the pandemic HMH engaged in multiple staff support strategies, from shortened schedules, on the spot individual and group counseling, integrative medicine delivered remotely or on the spot, as well every morale booster we could engage in. In addition, as a retention strategy, HMH has shifted to a Strength-based motivational system (our version of Strength-based therapy). We expect that the focus on creating a mindset as a Survivor as opposed to being a victim of the pandemic will have a major impact on improving retention. BK: Apprenticeship seems to hold a lot of potential, both in bringing more professionals into your system and in prompting workforce redesign.  Tell us about HMH apprenticeship efforts. DP: Our post-pandemic initiatives have featured two collaborations with Middlesex Community College in New Jersey and the WIB Board. In Fall 2023, we worked with Middlesex to develop and deliver a certification as a Mental Health Technician. While not specifically designated as an apprenticeship, it served the purpose, as the academics, designed in collaboration with the HMH staff, were delivered to the college, with the on-the-job at HMH Psychiatric Hospitals. HMH has engaged in designing a second MHT Certification with a specialization in Integrative medicine. Each of our four psychiatric inpatient hospitals at HMH provide a daily curriculum filled with options for patients to engage in relaxation exercises, music therapy, yoga, Qigong, exercise programs, and a substantial exposure to art therapy. We expect this initiative will expand our recruitment pool to all the integrative medicine providers who practice in the community and can blend their practices with a job that offers steady income and benefits.

Reminder: SAMHSA Releases Updated 988 Partner Toolkit

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released an updated 988 Partner Toolkit that the agency says is designed to help users better navigate the bank of materials available to promote the lifeline in communities. The toolkit has the same video PSAs, social media promotions, FAQs, and print materials, and is now available to search by target audience, population, language, and resource type. Click here to access the toolkit.

Reminder: NABH’s Enhanced Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Save the Date for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting!

Please plan to join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare. Registration will open in February.

Fact of the Week

Semaglutide, a highly popular medication that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved to treat obesity and manage type 2 diabetes, was associated with a 49% to 73% lower risk of first-time or recurring suicidal ideations compared with other medications for controlling obesity and type 2 diabetes that work via different mechanisms, according to a recent NIH-funded study.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Education and Research Foundation to Kick Off Webinar Series Next Week

The NABH Education and Research Foundation is pleased to host its first webinar, Redesigning the Present and Future of Behavioral Healthcare, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET. Foundation President Donald Parker, who serves as president of Behavioral Health Care Transformation Services for Hackensack Meridian Health, will co-lead the webinar with workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies. Kuhn has more than 30 years of workforce experience – with special interest and expertise in behavioral healthcare workforce development – and has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including in her roles as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment and as director of workforce development at the Vermont Department of Labor. Kuhn’s accomplishments include creating the Strategic Initiative for Transformation Employment, or SITE, a statewide model designed to bridge the gap between recovery and workforce participation for individuals active in their recovery from substance use issues. During this interactive webinar, participants are encouraged to ask questions of Kuhn and Parker, who will provide an overview of existing behavioral healthcare workforce challenges; explain why America’s current workforce structure doesn’t meet present or future workforce needs; suggest redesign strategies, present examples of current successes; and offer ideas about how to leverage current options to help providers develop a more robust workforce system. Please join us and click here to register for this free webinar!

Congress Clears Stop Gap Funding Extension, Delaying Potential Healthcare Package

Staving off a government shutdown, House and Senate lawmakers passed legislation this week to extend the federal government’s current funding deadlines into March. The House passed the bill in 314-108 vote hours after the Senate passed the measure 77-18. The legislation extends funding for agencies under four appropriations bills that were scheduled to expire today, Jan. 19 – Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies; Energy and Water Development; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and related agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies – until March 1. Funding covered under the remaining eight bills that were scheduled to expire Feb. 2 have been extended through March 8. Lawmakers have indicated they expect this is the final stopgap spending measure needed for fiscal year 2024. Several non-controversial healthcare provisions were included in the March 8 stopgap measure, such as providing continued funding for community health centers, teaching health centers and the National Health Service Corps; funding special diabetes programs; averting steep cuts to hospitals that have a high volume of uninsured and Medicaid patients; and providing continued funding for the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program, which aims to limit teen pregnancy and domestic violence. The bill did not address several expired health programs, including the SUPPORT Act reauthorization; the global HIV/AIDS program, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act; and heath price transparency legislation. Lawmakers are expected to include those programs in a potential March deal, if Congress doesn’t have to punt again with another spending patch. NABH continues to advocate for SUPPORT Act reauthorization and to stop the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA) as part of a broader healthcare package. Health policy leaders in the House and Senate remain in negotiations on a final package.

CMS Increases Prior Authorization Timeliness and Transparency in Final Rule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week finalized a rule that takes concrete steps to shorten the prior authorization process, which physicians and providers use to request health plan coverage for medical treatments and services that a physician has prescribed for a patient. In part, this rule responds to recent government audits that found that many government-contracted health plans were denying coverage inappropriately for services that actually were covered. The rule mostly takes effect for managed contracts in 2026 and beyond for insurers who contract with Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but not private insurance. Specifically, health plans will be required to make prior authorization coverage decisions within seven days and 72 hours for urgent requests. The rule also requires health plans to provide a specific reason for denying a prior-authorization request, which will help facilitate the correction of fixable claims as well as denial appeals. These payers also will be required to report their clinical and/or policy basis publicly for prior-authorization denials. Finally, to further reduce administrative burden, payers will now be required to conduct prior authorizations using a common electronic interface for transactions and data exchange, using Health Level 7 and other applications. Overall, CMS estimates that the final rule will reduce federal healthcare expenditures by approximately $15 billion over 10 years. Click here to learn more in the agency’s fact sheet.

CMS Announces Model to Test Approaches for Advancing Integration in Behavioral Health

CMS on Thursday introduced its Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) model to improve the care quality and outcomes for adults with Medicare and Medicaid who have mental health conditions and/or substance use disorder (SUD) by connecting them with the physical, behavioral, and social supports they need. The CMS Innovation Center will test the new IBH model, under which community-based behavioral healthcare practices will form interprofessional care teams composed of behavioral and physical health providers, as well as community-based supports. This new model supports President Biden’s mental health strategy and implements an action item in the HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration.   “The Biden-Harris administration will continue to explore innovative ways to help people with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorder,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an announcement. “Put simply, mental health is health—and by expanding access to the high-quality care that people need, we are changing lives.” CMS’ announcement said through the interprofessional care teams, people will experience an integration of services that will bridge the gaps between physical and behavioral health. The model enables a “no wrong door” approach, meaning that regardless of how patients enter care, they will have access to all available services. Through this practice, IBH also aims to reduce overall program expenditures. The model will launch in Fall 2024, and CMS said it expects it to operate for eight years in up to eight states. CMS will release a notice of funding opportunity for the model in Spring 2024. Click here to learn more.

SAMHSA Releases Updated 988 Partner Toolkit

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released an updated 988 Partner Toolkit that the agency says is designed to help users better navigate the bank of materials available to promote the lifeline in communities. The toolkit has the same video PSAs, social media promotions, FAQs, and print materials, and is now available to search by target audience, population, language, and resource type. Click here to access the toolkit.

Reminder: NABH’s Enhanced Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Save the Date for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting!

Please plan to join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare. Registration will open in February. Fact of the Week SAMHSA’s Food and Mood Project aims to promote emotional wellness and reduce the impact of mental health and substance use conditions among the nation’s K-12 population by implementing strategies that address the intersection among behavioral health, food/nutrition security, and cultural food diversity.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

Congress Returns to Urgent Funding Deadlines and Full 2024 Agenda

Congress returned to Washington this week facing two deadlines to fund all federal government operations as it works to clear some policy priorities – including a healthcare package with the SUPPORT Act’s reauthorization – ahead of the 2024 campaign season. In early January, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed to topline funding figures, allowing congressional appropriations leaders to begin the process of negotiating each of the spending allocations for all 12 spending bills. Congress has until Jan. 19 before the first government funding deadline for the U.S. Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs Departments. All other departments, including HHS, are funded through Feb. 2. There is a growing likelihood that Congress will have to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to allow lawmakers to agree on funding, although conservative House members are strongly opposed to that action and threaten to derail progress. Congressional leaders have indicated a healthcare package will likely be included in the first funding bill, due to the urgency in addressing several expired health programs and funding provisions for physician payments. This package will include several healthcare bills the House and Senate have passed.   NABH continues to advocate strongly for the SUPPORT Act’s reauthorization with new provisions and opposes the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA), which only the Senate HELP Committee has passed and the House has not considered. MOTAA proponents are strongly advocating for this bill to be included in the final package, and NABH and coalition partners are working with both congressional chambers to prevent this effort. This advocacy includes working with members of the Senate HELP Committee who oppose MOTAA to continue raising concerns with their Senate leadership; contacting members who serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee; contacting other senators who share concerns with law enforcement officials about implementing this legislation; as well as contacting members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Judiciary Committee. House Energy & Commerce Republicans remain strongly opposed to including MOTAA in any legislative package. NABH continues to emphasize to Members of Congress that there is no consensus on MOTAA and these policies need more vetting. Other health policies that lawmakers might fold into a larger legislative package include addressing expired telehealth regulations, Medicare’s physician pay cut, transparency measures, reporting requirements for insurers, hospitals and pharmacy benefit managers, and site-neutral payment provisions. In addition, funds for graduate medical education, community health centers, and special diabetes programs sunset on Jan. 19, and certain Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts are delayed until that date. NABH will continue to support provisions important to our members and fight to prevent bad policies from becoming law. Please see next week’s edition of CEO Update for the latest information.  

NABH Education and Research Foundation to Host Workforce Webinar on Jan. 23

Please join us for the NABH Research and Education Foundation’s first webinar, Redesigning the Present and Future of Behavioral Healthcare, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET. Foundation President Donald Parker, who serves as president of Behavioral Health Care Transformation Services for Hackensack Meridian Health, will co-lead the webinar with workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies. Kuhn has more than 30 years of workforce experience – with special interest and expertise in behavioral healthcare workforce development – and has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including in her roles as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment and as Vermont’s director of workforce development. Kuhn’s accomplishments include creating the Strategic Initiative for Transformation Employment, or SITE, a statewide model designed to bridge the gap between recovery and workforce participation for individuals active in their recovery from substance use issues. During this interactive webinar, participants are encouraged to ask questions of Parker and Kuhn, who will provide an overview of existing behavioral healthcare workforce challenges; explain why America’s current workforce structure doesn’t meet present or future workforce needs; suggest redesign strategies, present examples of current successes; and offer ideas about how to leverage current options to help providers develop a more robust workforce system. Please click here to register for this free webinar and share the link with members of your teams!

CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure to Outline Agency’s 2024 Priorities in Stakeholder Call

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure will host a stakeholder call to discuss the agency’s 2023 accomplishments, 2024 priorities, and CMS Strategic Plan on Tuesday, Jan. 23. CMS Principal Administrator and Chief Operating Officer Jon Blum and other members of the CMS leadership team will also serve as presenters during the hourlong call, which will begin at 1 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

CMS Releases State Plan Summaries for American Rescue Plan of 2021

CMS has released state spending plan summaries for a section of the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARP) that provides information about the amount of money spent on activities to enhance, expand, or strengthen community-based services. NABH members might find the report useful because it includes information about state spending on efforts related to workforce, technology, education, behavioral healthcare support for youth, housing and homelessness, and more. Click here for the full report and to read your state’s summary.

Save the Date for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting!

Registration will open soon for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting, The Future of Behavioral Healthcare, at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024. Please plan to join us!  

Reminder: NABH’s Enhanced Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Fact of the Week

About 52,000 Medicare enrollees experienced an opioid overdose in 2022; however, only 18% of Medicare patients with opioid use disorder received medication-assisted treatment, according to a report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General. For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Welcomes Frank Ghinassi, Ph.D. as 2024 Board Chair

NABH is pleased to welcome Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC) President and CEO Frank Ghinassi, Ph.D. as chair of the NABH Board of Trustees for 2024. A longstanding NABH member, Frank has served the association in many capacities, including as board treasurer, Quality Committee chair, and Annual Meeting program chair. As UBHC’s CEO, Frank is responsible for a statewide system of academically based mental health and addiction services across New Jersey; managing an annual operating budget of $320 million and 2,200 staff and faculty. UBHC, one of the largest providers of behavioral and addictions healthcare in the country, offers a wide range of clinical services across all diagnosis, and across the lifespan, including inpatient units, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programming, case management, traditional outpatient treatment, correctional health care, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center, peer operated helplines for service members, veterans, mothers of children with special needs, law enforcement officers and child protection workers, a statewide suicide prevention hotline and a clinical research and training institute, as well as an array of specialty and peer support services. Frank also serves as professor at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology; an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and a core faculty member at Rutgers Global Health Institute. The association’s Washington-based team is eager to work with Frank this year and appreciates his vision and leadership. NABH is also grateful to Sheppard Pratt President and CEO Harsh Trivedi, M.D., M.B.A. for his service as the association’s 2023 board chair and all he has done to promote NABH, its priorities, and its mission. Thank you, Harsh!

NABH Letter to CMS Cites Concerns about Medicare Advantage Plans that Block Access to Care

NABH this week sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing concerns about Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that either block or delay access to behavioral healthcare services. The association’s letter endorsed and also made recommendations related to the rule’s positive provisions, such as incentivizing MA coverage for additional behavioral healthcare practitioners and inclusion in a health plans’ provider networks; annually analyzing the health equity level of MA plans relative to underserved populations; and laying the groundwork for increased data collection on MA coverage decisions, appeals and decision rationales. NABH’s letter also urged CMS to modify its existing proposal to improve the appeals process for MA enrollees in certain settings to include behavioral healthcare settings, which the letter describes in detail.

Sen. John Fetterman Discusses His Battle with Depression on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’

In an exclusive interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Dec. 31, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) spoke candidly about his experience with clinical depression and how he is grateful for receiving treatment. The first-term senator was discharged March 31 from Walter Reed National Medical Center, where he had received treatment for clinical depression. Fetterman checked himself in for treatment on Feb. 15 last year following a battle with depression that worsened during his recovery from a stroke he suffered in May 2022. “The line [is] ‘I’m living my best life,’ and I really am, because I just am so grateful,” Fetterman told journalist Kristen Welker. “And I’m always talking about mental health because I want everybody that can hear that is that help works, and you should get help. And please, don’t suffer any longer, because you deserve to be better. And I’m so grateful to do that, and I’m paying it forward by talking about it.” Click here to watch Fetterman’s interview.

NABH Education and Research Foundation to Host Workforce Webinar on Jan. 23

The NABH Education and Research Foundation is pleased to host its first webinar, Redesigning the Present and Future of Behavioral Healthcare, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET. NABH Education and Research Foundation President Donald Parker, who serves as president of Behavioral Health Care Transformation Services for Hackensack Meridian Health, will co-lead the webinar with workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies. Kuhn has more than 30 years of workforce experience – with special interest and expertise in behavioral healthcare workforce development – and has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including in her roles as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment and as Vermont’s director of workforce development. Kuhn’s accomplishments include creating the Strategic Initiative for Transformation Employment, or SITE, a statewide model designed to bridge the gap between recovery and workforce participation for individuals active in their recovery from substance use issues. Throughout this interactive webinar, participants are encouraged to ask questions of Parker and Kuhn, who will provide an overview of existing behavioral healthcare workforce challenges; explain why America’s current workforce structure doesn’t meet present or future workforce needs; suggest redesign strategies, present examples of current successes; and offer ideas about how to leverage current options to help providers develop a more robust workforce system. The Foundation will also ask attendees poll questions during the hourlong webinar to gauge member interest in future workforce events and resources. Please join us and click here to register for this free webinar!

National Academies to Host Webinar on Behavioral Healthcare Provider Experience with Public Insurance Programs Next Week

The National Academies’ Committee on Strategies to Improve Access to Behavioral Health Care Services through Medicare and Medicaid will host a virtual webinar that discusses behavioral healthcare provider experiences with public insurance programs on Wednesday, Jan. 10. This webinar will examine the experiences of behavioral healthcare providers who accept Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace insurance and discuss what can be done to increase access to behavioral healthcare services for this patient population. Click here to register for the two-hour webinar, which starts at 2 p.m. ET next Wednesday.

Reminder: NABH’s Enhanced Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Save the Date for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for this year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

A new study in Psychiatry Research suggests ethnoracial inequities in patient assignment to buildings that differed in clinical and physical conditions. Examining data from more than 18,000 unique patients during a period of six years, researchers said the findings serve as a call to action for hospital systems to examine the ways in which structural racism impact clinical care.   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Education and Research Foundation to Host Workforce Webinar in January

The NABH Education and Research Foundation is pleased to host its first webinar, Redesigning the Present and Future of Behavioral Healthcare, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET. Foundation President Donald Parker, who serves as president of Behavioral Health Care Transformation Services for Hackensack Meridian Health, will co-lead the webinar with workforce consultant Beth Kuhn of Stonegate Strategies. Kuhn has more than 30 years of workforce experience – with special interest and expertise in behavioral healthcare workforce development – and has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including in her roles as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment and as Vermont’s director of workforce development. Kuhn’s accomplishments include creating the Strategic Initiative for Transformation Employment, or SITE, a statewide model designed to bridge the gap between recovery and workforce participation for individuals active in their recovery from substance use issues. During this interactive webinar, participants are encouraged to ask questions of Parker and Kuhn, who will provide an overview of existing behavioral healthcare workforce challenges; explain why America’s current workforce structure doesn’t meet present or future workforce needs; suggest redesign strategies, present examples of current successes; and offer ideas about how to leverage current options to help providers develop a more robust workforce system. Please join us and click here to register for this free webinar!

NABH 2024 Board Election Ballots Due Friday, Dec. 29!

NABH has e-mailed system members NABH Board of Trustees candidate profiles and a ballot to elect new members to the 2024 Board. If you have not done so, please vote for the open Board Chair-Elect position and four available Board seats; sign the ballot (it is not valid without a signature); and return it to NABH. You can do this by scanning your completed ballot and e-mailing it nabh@nabh.org or maria@nabh.org. NABH must receive all ballots no later than Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. New Board members and the Board Chair-elect will take office in January 2024.

SAMHSA Releases Advisory on Implementing Low-Barrier Care to Expand Access and Improve Outcomes for Individuals with SUD

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released an advisory that outlines recommendations to implement low barrier models of care to significantly expand access to lifesaving treatment for individuals with substance use disorders (SUD). Despite evidence showing the effectiveness of SUD treatment, fewer than 10% of individuals who need care receive it. Barriers such as lack of treatment availability, strict program requirements, stigma, and discrimination. The advisory emphasizes the importance of low barrier care in overcoming substantial gaps in access to SUD treatment and engaging more people in care.

Reminder: NABH’s Enhanced Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials. With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:

1. Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.

1. The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.

We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.

Save the Date for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from May 13-15, 2024 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that while the provisional number of suicides in 2022 (49,449) was 3% higher than in 2021 (48,183), suicide rates for people in age groups 10–14, 15–24, and 25–34 declined 18%, 9%, and 2%, respectively, from 2021 to 2022.

Happy Holidays from NABH!

NABH will not publish CEO Update next week and will resume on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. The entire NABH team wishes you, your families, and your teams a very happy, healthy, and safe holiday season!   For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.